OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, MI -- Residents of a subdivision in Oshtemo Township are calling foul after several mailboxes were torn down by the Kalamazoo County Road Commission Monday to enforce its encroachment policy for non-conforming mailboxes.

Among those removed was NFL star Greg Jenning's mailbox, according to residents of the WestPort Trails subdivision.

The homeowners who didn't remove their mailboxes themselves had them taken down by the road commission on Monday and will be billed for the removal, according to Managing Director Joanna Johnson.

Johnson said a total of eight mailboxes are being removed by the road commission. One of the mailboxes couldn't be removed Monday because a car was parked in front of it, Johnson said.

Angela Whitfield, who has lived in the neighborhood for nine years, said she was on a walk when she learned that her mailbox had been torn down. The mailbox was buried in a pile of bricks in her front lawn Monday afternoon.

"It's really sad," Whitfield said. "We're in a subdivision with a 25 mile per hour speed limit, not on a main strip with a lot of traffic. They are not a danger."

Gwen Jennings, mother of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings, said the mailbox at her son's home was among those taken down Monday.

"My whole thing is that there are hundreds of other mailboxes like that in this county. So if you're going to take them all down, then fine. But if not, don't take ours down," said Gwen Jennings, who lives in the subdivision.

Bryan Bolhuis, who lives on Oakharbor Street and also had his mailbox removed, agrees with Jennings, calling it "selective enforcement."

"I'll wait one year. In the lawsuit, we submitted over 800 names of people in Kalamazoo County who have cement, brick and stone mailboxes. If those 800 are still up in one year from now, that is selective enforcement, and any attorney will pick that up," Bolhuis said.

Johnson said the road commission will continue to review potential encroachment issues, including the hundreds of mailboxes the homeowners have addressed.

"As time allows, we will be following up on those," Johnson said.

The road commission listed these reminders about mailboxes in a press release:

Any mailbox and its support considered to be a hazard should be removed from the right-of-way and replaced.

• Steel tractor wheels, milk cans filled with concrete, bricks and other items can also present a roadside hazard to motorists.

• These non-conforming objects can also create a liability risk for residents.

• Non-conforming mailbox encroachments are considered an unauthorized use of highway right-of-way.

• Only one support should be used per mailbox or group of mailboxes.

• Wood posts should be no more than 4.5 inches in diameter if round, 4x4 inches if rectangular.

• Metal pipes should be standard steel or aluminum with no more than a 2-inch inside diameter.

• Supports should yield or collapse if struck.

• Supports cannot be fitted with a metal post, embedded more than 24 inches into the ground or set in concrete.

•
Mailboxes should be placed on the right-hand side of the roadway in the
direction of the delivery route except on one-way streets where they
may be placed on the left-hand side. The bottom of the box should be set
at an elevation, established by the United States Postal Service,
usually between 42 and 48 inches above the roadway surface.

•
Mailboxes should be constructed of aluminum, plastic or lightweight
galvanized steel. Newspaper delivery boxes should be of light steel or
plastic of minimum dimensions for holding a newspaper.

Aaron Mueller is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo
Gazette. Contact him at amuelle1@mlive.com or 269-568-3867.
Follow him on Twitter.